Chair and foot rest therefor



Feb. 13, 1934. R MALCOLM 1,947,212

CHAIR AND FOOT REST THEREFOR Filed May 26, 1932 I fru/erz'or': Walfier 7?. Ma/co/m,

b ww' /7/'s- Attorney.

Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR AND FOOT REST THEREFOR Walter R. Malcolm, Albany, N. Y. Application May 26, 1932. Serial No. 613,646

'7 Claims.

My invention relates to chairs and in particular to chairs of the rocker type with footrests.

In the ordinary r ocker of the art, there is no the chair upon the interference with the ness or tingling of the limbs, of my invention to provide a front of a rocker upon which thigh which sometimes by circulation produces numband it is an object footrest across the footrest a person reclining in such chair may prop his feet and at the same time rock A chair with such ed for invalids, or

if he desires. provision is especially adaptconvalescing persons, or for use in summer camps or the like. It also has the advantage that the occupant of the chair can maintain his feet clear of the cold and chilling drafts that circulate along the floor.

It is also an object of my invention to provide means for enabling the footrest to be adjusted in height to suit short or tall persons, or persons of medium height.

The foregoing and other objects of my invention, and the means and principles involved therein will be more following and more ments thereof, of th operation, reference fully understood from the detail description of the eleeir arrangement and of their being had to the accompanying drawing in which:-

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of a rocking chair equipped with my invention.

Fig.2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the footrest mechanism indicated Fig. 4 is a plan view of in Fig. 1.

a section of the device of Fig. 3 taken on 'line 3-3.

Fig. 5 is a so called exploded view in perspective of the device of Fig. 6 is a view similar 3 and 4.

to that of Fig. 3 of a Figs.

modified form of the device of my invention.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 of the device of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows deta 7, in perspective.

Fig. 9 shows details of ils of the device Figs. 6 and the hooked arm of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a bottom view of one of the bearings for the step element Referring in detail to rest comprises a frame,

of the device.

the drawing, the footthree side elements 2, 3

and 4 of which come together to form one corner as indicated in Fig.

5, two of the side elements 2 and 3 being horizontally located, side 2 extending wardly.

upwardly. This corner is located in front of the rocker 5 on the right side of the chair with the major portion of the side 3 located in a mortise in and secured to the forward portion of rocker 5 as indicated in Fig. 1. The opposite corner of the footrest, (which is similar to the one of Fig. 5), is formed by the three sides 2-6 and '7 coming together, the side 6 corresponding to side 3, and similarly secured to the rocker 6. The side 2 extends across the front of the chair, operating as a brace between the upright sides 4 and '7. These uprights 4 and I are slotted entirely through vertically and also grooved or slotted, but not entirely through on their faces, horizontally. For example, the side 4 is provided with a vertical slot 8 and with horizontal grooves 9, 10, 11 and 12. The horizontal grooves are provided for receiving and supporting the hooked ends of clamp bearing elements 13 and 14 which are designed to receive each, the corre-. sponding trunnion formed by the corresponding end of the shaft 15, which trunnions project beyond the sides of the step or foot element 16 upon which the feet of any one using the chair may rest. If desired the shaft may be omitted and the foot element and the trunnions made as a unit of any suitable material. But as shown in the drawing these are made separate, the foot element of wood andthe shaft of iron or steel. As indicated in Fig. 4, the shaft is secured to the step by means of screws 1'7 and straps 18. The clamp bearings 13 and 14 are the same in construction and each comprises two jaws which are hinged together. For example, the bearing 13 comprises two jaws sections 19 and 20 which are dovetailed as indicated in Fig. 10 and held in hinged relation by a pin 21. As indicated in the drawing the upper end of the jaw 20 of the clamp-bearing is bent to form a hook or flange adapted to fit in anyone of the horizontal slots in either of the upright elements 4 or 7 of the frame, see Fig. 3.

Between the jaw 20 and the upright4 I provide a bushing 22, see Fig. 3, through which a bolt 23 extends. A thumb nut 24 is provided for this bolt for clamping the clamp bearing in position. The same means is employed for clamping the clamp-bearing 14 to the upright '7. In order to adjust the foot element, the thumb units and their bolts, which hold the clamp bearings, are loosened sufliciently to permit the disengagement of the flange of each clamp-bearing from the groove holding it, after which the bearings may be raised or lowered to the desired level, corre-' sponding to some other one of the horizontal slots, and then clamped there by tightening the thumb units. As indicated, the shaft 15 is provided with a slot 25 and the outer jaw of each one of the clamps, such as the jaw 13, is provided also with a slot, such as slot 26. In each slot 25 a key or dowel pin 27 is anchored for locking each end of the shaft to its clamp in a given position, either before or after the clamps are clamped to their supports 4 and 7.

As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 the frame is secured to the rocker elements of the chair by any other suitable means. For example, the rocker 5 is mortised on the under side and at the front end which mortise receives the lower arm 3 of the frame and in which the arm is secured by screws 28, bolts 29 or the like.

Furthermore, if desired the frame of the device may be reinforced by bolting the upper ends of the uprights 4 and '7 to the legs of the rocker as indicated in Fig. 1.

With a device such as described a person of tall or short or medium stature may be made comfortable by adjusting the step of the footrest to suit him. The invention has the advantage that when the chair is not in use the thumb nuts may be loosened and the foot element folded up out of the way, the plane of the foot element extending parallel to the front of the chair, in which latter position the foot element may be locked by tightening the thumb-nuts again.

If desired clamp-bearings need not have their jaws hinged as indicated in Fig. 10 but each may be merely made of a single folded piece having sufiicient resilience to enable it to respond to the pressure of its bolt, such as bolt 23, and bend sufiiciently to clamp the trunnion and hold the foot element in place.

Also, if desired, each trunnion or shaft end may be modified by providing it with an arm 31, such as indicated in Fig. 8, for the purpose of assisting in supporting the foot element of the device as indicated in Fig. 6. Also the bearing surfaces of the clamp jaws and of the trunnions may be corrugated, as indicated in Fig. .8. Referring to Figs. 5 and 8 it will be seen that if the corrugated trunnions and bearings of Fig. 8 be used the footrest may be adjusted in any one of several positions. The same is true if bearings like those of Fig. 8 are substituted for bearings such as bearing 13 of Fig. 5. In other words, I contemplate the provision of tongue and groove means between a trunnion and its clamp whereby the foot element may be adjusted in different positions.

In order to permit the arm to bend the latter may be made in two sections, the forward section 31 being hinged to the base section of the arm. This construction will permit the arm to bend when the foot element of the device is raised but not when it is lowered as indicated in Fig. 6.

It will be understood that while I have elected to illustrate the principles of my invention in connection with the specific forms shown in the drawing, I do not wish to be limited to such construction inasmuch as these principles are of broader application as indicated by the claims herein, which principles may be embodied in other forms.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a rocking chair, a footrest device, said device comprising a foot element with trunnions projecting therefrom, an angle element for each rocker, each angle element having two arms, one secured to the corresponding rocker, and the other projecting upwardly in front 01' its rocker, said other arm of each angle element being slotted lengthwise, said device com-prising also a clamp for each slotted arm, each clamp being provided with bearing means between the jaws thereof, each bearing means supporting one of said trunnions, each clamp having a flange element, each slotted arm being provided with a plurality of horizontal grooves each adapted to receive the said flange element of the corresponding clamp whereby said clamps and the supported foot element may be adjusted along the slotted arms, each clamp comprising bolt means with a wing-nut whereby the jaws of each clamp may be tightened about the corresponding trunnion, each clamp being interlocked with its corresponding slotted arm by means of its bolt whereby each clamp may be locked to its slotted arm and the corresponding trunnion held between the jaws of its clamp by relative motion between the bolt and its wing-nut.

2. In combination with a rocking chair, a footrest device, said device comprising a foot element with trunnions projecting therefrom, an angle element for each rocker, each element having two arms, one secured to the corresponding rocker and the other projecting upwardly in front of its rocker, a clamp bearing supporting each trunnion between the jaws thereof and the foot element in front of the rocker, means for securing each clamp bearing as a whole to a corresponding one of said upwardly projecting arms in any one of several positions along the length of the latter, said last means comprising interlocking means between each clamp bearing and its supporting angle arm, said interlocking means comprising a flange in one of the interlocking elements and a plurality of grooves in the other all being adapted to receive said flange whereby the foot element may be adjusted along the front of the rocker in a different position corresponding to each groove.

3. In combination with a rocking chair, a footrest device, said device comprising a foot element with trunnions projecting therefrom, an angle element for each rocker, each element having two arms, one secured to the corresponding rocker and the other projecting upwardly in front of its rocker, a clamp bearing supporting each trunnion between the jaws thereof and the foot element in front of the rocker, means for securing each clamp bearing as a whole to a corresponding one of said upwardly projecting arms in any one of several positions along the length of the latter, and a dowel pin in each trunnion, said bearing being grooved, whereby the foot element may be adjusted in its bearings.

4. In combination with a rocking chair, a footrest device comprising a frame having two groups of arms forming two corners, each corner having three sides, one of said arms being common to both corners and one in each group extending upwardly from its corner, the remaining arm in each group extending transversely of the other two in each group, each of the latter arms being secured to one of the rocker elements of the chair, said upwardly extending arm being provided each with a plurality of grooves parallel to the horizontal, a foot element, means on each of said grooved arms for supporting said foot element in front of the chair and means for securing each of said supporting means to any one of the grooves in its corresponding arm.

5. In combination with a rocking chair, a footrest device comprising a frame having two groups of arms forming two corners, each corner having three sides, one of said arms being common to both corners and one in each group extending upwardly from its corner, the remaining arm in each group extending transversely of the other two in each group, each of the latter arms being secured to one of the rocker elements of the chair, a foot element and means for securing said foot element to said frame in position in front of the chair along said common arm, said foot element comprising an arm extending rearwardly beyond said upwardly extending element, the rearmost part of the arm being bent back of said upwardly extending arm to engage the latter at the rear thereof and support said foot element in operative position.

6. In combination with a rocking chair, a footrest device comprising a frame having two groups of arms forming two corners, each corner having three sides, one of said arms being located in each side, one of said arms being common to both corners and one in each group extending upwardly from its corner, the remaining arm in each group extending transversely of the other two in' each group, each of the latter arms being secured to one of the rocker elements of the chair, a foot element and means for securing said foot element to said frame in position in front of the chair along said common arm, said foot element comprising an arm extending rearwardly beyond said upwardly extending element the rearmost part of the arm being bent back of said upwardly extending arm to engage the latter at the rear thereof and support said foot element in operative position, said last arm being formed in two sections, one being hinged to the other whereby the foot element may be swung upward without being obstructed when adjusted.

'7. In combination with a rocking chair, a footrest device, said device comprising a foot element with trunnions projecting therefrom, an angle element for each rocker, each element having two arms, one secured to the corresponding rocker and the other projecting upwardly in front of its rocker, a clamp bearing supporting each trunnion between the jaws thereof and the foot element in front of the rocker, means for securing each lamp bearing as a whole to a corresponding one of said upwardly projecting arms in any one of several positions along the length of the latter, and tongue and groove means between one of said trumiions and its clamp whereby the foot element may be adjusted in different positions.

WALTER R. MALCOLM. 

